Ajit Pawar

Ajit Anantrao Pawar (22 July 1959 – 28 January 2026) was an Indian politician who served as Maharashtra's longest-serving deputy chief minister for more than eight years, between 2010 and his death in 2026, for six terms. He held the office under various governments, including the cabinets of Prithviraj Chavan, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray, and Eknath Shinde.

He also served as the leader of the opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from 2022 to 2023 and represented Baramati Lok Sabha constituency in 1991.

Early life

Ajit Anantrao Pawar was born on 22 July 1959 in Deolali Pravara, Maharashtra, to Anantrao and Ashatai Pawar. In 1985, he married Sunetra Pawar (née Patil), the sister of Padamsinh Bajirao Patil, a senior NCP leader. The couple had two sons, Parth and Jay Pawar.

Pawar's grandparents were Govindrao Pawar and Shardabai Pawar. Shardabai was active in the Peasants and Workers Party (PWP). In 1938, she was elected unopposed to the Pune Local Board. Ajit Pawar made his first foray into politics in 1982 when he was elected to the board of a cooperative sugar factory. In 1991, he was elected as the chairman of the Pune District Central Cooperative Bank and remained in the post for the next 16 years.

Political career Pawar was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time in 1991 from the Baramati Parliamentary constituency. He later vacated the seat for his uncle, who then became the Defence Minister in Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao's government. Pawar was known for his blunt and pragmatic leadership style, nicknamed "Ajit Dada".

Later, he was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly seven times from the Baramati Assembly constituency. He first won in a 1991 by-election and subsequently retained it for five consecutive terms in 1995, 1999, 2004, 2009, and 2014. He served as the Minister of State for Agriculture and Power in CM Sudhakarrao Naik's government from 1991 to 1992.

He became the Minister of State for Soil Conservation, Power and Planning in 1992 when Sharad Pawar became the Chief Minister. In 1999, as part of the INC-NCP coalition government, he became a Cabinet Minister responsible for the Irrigation Department. He was additionally given the Rural Development Department in 2003 as part of Sushilkumar Shinde's cabinet.

Ajit Pawar had extensive experience in elected office. In particular, as Deputy Chief Minister, he exerted strong influence over the administration of the state. As Finance Minister, he handled the state budget. He also accelerated the implementation of many major projects while working in the Irrigation and Water Resources Department.

Leader of Nationalist Congress Party Rebellion against Sharad Pawar

On 23 November 2019, he defected from NCP and joined a government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party and became the Deputy Chief Minister. He submitted a paper with the signatures of NCP MLAs to the Governor to prove the government's majority. However, the government collapsed less than 80 hours later and he resigned alongside then-CM Devendra Fadnavis. He subsequently returned to the NCP, and on 1 December 2019, it was announced that he would take over as Deputy CM for the Maha Vikas Aghadi government after the start of the winter session of the state legislature on 16 December.

In 2022, due to a split in the Shiv Sena, the Maha Vikas Aghadi government collapsed. After the rebel Shiv Sena faction and the BJP formed a government with Eknath Shinde as CM, Pawar became the Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.

2023 party split In 2023, having the support of the majority of the erstwhile NCP's MLAs, he also claimed the position of president of the NCP, as well as the party's name and its electoral symbol. Pawar joined the ruling Maha Yuti coalition and took the oath as deputy CM of the state on 2 July. On 7 February 2024, the Election Commission Of India (ECI) awarded the party name and symbol to the faction headed by Ajit. The faction led by Sharad Pawar took an alternative name: Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar). His wife, Rajya Sabha MP Sunetra Pawar, succeeded him as the deputy chief minister.

Death

On 28 January 2026, at approximately 08:44 IST (UTC+5:30), a business jet carrying Pawar on an air charter flight from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai to Baramati Airport in Maharashtra crashed while attempting a second approach to Baramati Airport Runway 11. The aircraft veered off the runway, burst into flames, and was destroyed on impact, resulting in the deaths of Pawar and four others on board.

The aircraft was a 16-year-old Learjet 45XR, registration VT-SSK, operated by VSR Aviation.

At the time of the incident, Pawar was travelling to Baramati to address multiple public meetings in connection with the upcoming Zilla Parishad elections. The Maharashtra government declared a three-day state of mourning following his death; his funeral was held in Baramati on 29 January, with full state honours. His body was cremated.

Electoral history